Gutter clamp



L. ERTMAN CUTTER CLAMP Sept. 27, 1955 Filed Oct. 27, 1954 x Q M INVENTOR. Lou/s PTMHN. BY 2 y GUTTER CLAMP" Louis Ertman, WestHartford, Conn.

Application'October 27, 1954, Serial No. 465,010

2Claims. Cl. 113-101 This invention relates to a gutter clamp and more particularly to a device for clamping together the overlapping end portions of roof gutters to facilitate soldering of the joint therebetween.

An object of this invention is to provide a clamp which can be used for clamping gutters together when they are in position under the edge of a roof on a building.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gutter clamp which can-be used on gutters having inwardly extending flanges along the upper edge of the front portion thereof and which can be readily detached from the gutter after the soldering operation has been completed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a gutter clamp which will clamp together the front and rear walls of the overlapping portions of the gutters and also force the bottoms of the overlapping portions together so that the soldering operation is greatly facilitated and a better joint is produced with a minimum of solder. I, Further objects and advantages of this invention will be more clearly understood from the following description and from the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, showing my improved gutter clamp in clamping position upon the overlapping ends of gutter sections which are mounted upon a building.

Fig. 2 is a front view of said clamp and portions of the gutters.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a modified form of a gutter clamp embodying my invention.

As illustrated in the drawings, the numeral 5 denotes the roof of a building and 6 denotes the facia which extends underneath the overhanging portion of the roof. A gutter 7 is hung against the facia in the conventional manner so that the back wall 8 thereof underlies the overhanging portion of the roof 5. The gutter also includes a front wall 9 which may be of an ornamental shape and is usually provided with an inwardly turned flange 10 that extends along the upper edge of the said front wall to strengthen it and also enhance the appearance of the gutter. As shown in the drawing, the gutter sections are joined by inserting the end of one section into the end of the adjoining section so that portions of the walls of said sections overlap. These overlapping portions must be held closely together if a satisfactory soldered connection is to be produced.

My improved clamping tool, therefore, is designed to fit the cross-sectional contour of the gutter and the said tool includes a rear jaw 11, having a front edge 12 which conforms to the contour of the inner section 7-11 of the gutter, and a front jaw 13 having a rear edge 14 with a contour closely fitting that of the front wall of the outer section 7-b of the gutter. The rear and the front jaws 11 and 13 have extensions 15 and 16, respectively, which are hinged together at their ends by means of a hinge pin 17. A clamping screw 18 extends through a transverse hole 19 in the front jaw 13 and is threaded to the rear jaw; the said hole 19 being larger than the screw 18 so as to permit United States Patent swinging movement of the front jaw relatively'to the rear jaw when'the clamping screw is loosened;

It willbe'noted that the rear jaw 11 is sufficiently narrower thanith'e'sp'ace between the inner edge of the flange 1'0"a'nd the back wall 8 of the gutter so that the rear jaw may be moved inwardly within the gutter and then removed therefrom by 'rais'ing'the said rear'jaw through the top of the gutter.

By locating the hinge pin at a suitable distancefromthe Screw18; sufficientpressurrmay be obtained between the clamping jaws 11 and13 to clamp the overlapping portions of the gutter'tightly together for the soldering operation. j

In order'to force the overlapping portions of the back wall 8 of the gutter together, there is provided a clamping block 20, which rests against the inner surface of the said back wall, and a separate clamping screw 21 extends through the portion 15 of the rear jaw and is threaded thereto as shown in dotted lines. This screw 21 is located to one side of the clamping screw 18 and extends through a clearance opening in the front jaw and at an angle to the rear jaw so that it will force the block 20 angularly against the back wall of the gutter and that portion of its bottom wall between the back wall and the inner edge of the rear jaw 11. It will be understood that in the use of my improved clamp, it is first secured to the outer wall of the gutter. The block 20 is then inserted into position and the screw 21 is rotated so that its end will engage the said block and force it against the back and bottom walls of the gutter so as to hold the overlapping portions thereof close together for soldering.

When the clamp is to be detached from the gutter, it is only necessary to loosen the screw 21, remove the block and then loosen the screw 18 so that the rear jaw may be removed through the top of the gutter.

In the modified form of the device illustrated in Fig. 3, the rear jaw 11-a and the front jaw 13-a are provided with complementary clamping surfaces 12-a and 14-a as above described, and a conventional hinge 22 is secured to the upper ends of said jaws to permit relative swinging movement thereof. It will be noted that the forward edge 13-15 of the front jaw 13-a is curved. Said jaws are urged into clamping position on the overlapping end portions of a gutter by means of conventional toggle latches 23, one of which is fastened to each side of the clamp at a point between the hinge 22 and the clamping surfaces thereof. Said toggle latches each include a pivotally mounted lever 24 which is preferably secured to the rear jaw 11-a and carries a wire bail 25, and a keeper 26 which is secured to the front jaw 13a and receives said bail. Said modified clamp is also provided with a clamping screw 21-a which is similar to the clamping screw 21 above described and operates in the same manner.

My modified form of clamp is particularly intended for use when the gutter sections are being soldered together on a work bench or the like since the clamp or clamps carrying the gutter sections may be rocked forwardly about the front edge 13-b thereof to render the joint more easily accessible.

I claim:

1. For a roof gutter including a back wall, a bottom wall and a front wall having an inwardly extending flange along the upper edge thereof, a clamp including a rear jaw and a front jaw hingedly connected at one end thereof and having at their other end portions opposed clamping sections of said gutter, and a separate clamping screw extending toward the clamping end of said' jaws at anacute angle to the first clamping screw and at one side thereof; the said separateclamping screw extending through an elongated'ope ning in the front jaw and being threaded to and extending through the, rear jaw for forcing a separate member angularly against the back and bottom walls of the gutter when the said clamp is in clamping position thereon. v

' 2. A gutterlclarnp including a rear jaw and a front jaw hingedly connected at one end and having at their opposite end portions complementary clamping, edges conforming with the cross-sectional contour of a gutter to be clamped therebetweenj said rear jaw being of a depth that is less than the crosssectional openingin the top of the gutter, clamping means located between said hinge connection andthe said clamping edges for urging said jaws into clamping engagement with the overlapping portions of adjacent'guttersections, and a separate clamping screw extending downwardly and i'fearwardly through said jaws intermediate said hinge connection and said clamping edge; said clamping screw extending through an elongated opening in said front jaw and being threaded to and extending through said rear jaw for forcing a separate member against the rear wallof the gutter when the said clamp is in clamping position.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 842,007 Parker; Jan. 22, 1907 1,119,419 Frakes Dec. 1, 1914 1,900,314 Strom Mar. 7, 1933 2,258,189 Meisner Oct. 7, 1941 

